Remembering in God's Way

I habitually circle every occurrence of the word "remember" in my scriptures, and I do this because of words by Elder Marlin K Jensen that impacted me. He said, 

[W]e will recognize that remembering in the way God intends is a fundamental and saving principle of the gospel . . . When we remember in God’s way, we overcome our human tendency simply to gird for the battle of life and actually engage in the battle itself (Remember and Perish Not).

"Remember" is a call to action. You can see this easily in daily life, and here is an example. You are 15 years old, and your room is a disaster. Your mom calls up the stairs, "Remember to clean your room before dinner." You inherently know that she doesn't mean think about cleaning your room—she wants you to do it, and do it as soon as possible.

I always knew this principle; after all, I've been circling it in my scriptures for years. However, I recently reread the promise at the end of the Book of Mormon, and I realized there is a call to remembrance there: 

Behold, I would exhort you . . . that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things (Moroni 10:3).

What is it that I am asked to remember? I am asked to recall the mercies of the Lord—mercies that are contained within the scriptures. Just like cleaning a room, I am not being called to merely think; I must understand God's nature and know His patterns. When I make God's mercy a part of me, I have the promise that "by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things" (Moroni 10:5). I become engaged in the battle because I know for myself.